WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration on Friday said it was streamlining

reviews of requests filed by automakers seeking to deploy

self-driving vehicles without required human controls like

steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors.

NHTSA has authority to grant petitions to allow up to 2,500

vehicles per manufacturer to operate on U.S. roads without

required human controls but the agency has spent years reviewing

several exemption petitions without taking action.

Automakers have expressed frustration with the agency's slow

reviews of autonomous vehicles. Under the law, fully

self-driving vehicles do not need NHTSA approval if they have

required human controls.

Manufacturers must demonstrate vehicles without human

controls provide an equivalent safety level and exemptions are

in the public interest.

In 2018, GM petitioned NHTSA to deploy up to 2,500 cars

without steering wheels or brake pedals on U.S. roads. In 2020,

GM withdrew the petition. GM in 2022 again sought NHTSA approval

to deploy vehicles without human controls. GM withdrew the

petition in October.

Ford in 2023 withdrew its self-driving petition filed in

July 2021 with NHTSA, citing its decision to close its

self-driving venture Argo AI in 2022.

Tesla tentatively plans to begin offering rides on its

self-driving robotaxis to the public on June 22, CEO Elon Musk

said this week, but those vehicles have required human controls.